Windows offers lot of best-inbuilt features for their users. As one of the inbuilt feature that we are discussing about is Sticky Keys.
Sticky Keys are used to perform shortcut of keyboard keys by pressing one button after another but not at the same time.
This feature is developed for users who are suffering from strain injuries that are unable to press multiple buttons at a time or to reduce any physical damage to their Keyboard.
Now through this article, we can discuss Sticky Keys in detail and know How to enable or disable it on Windows 10 and Windows 8/7.
Sticky Keys
As all of us aware of the Modifier Keys of the Keyboard on Windows. That are none other than “Shift” key and also “Ctrl” key, “Windows” key and finally “Alt” key to perform any special type of functions.
We frequently use this modifier keys with any other non-modifier keys on keyboard to perform any activity like saving the file ( Ctrl + s ), copying the content ( Ctrl + c ) or changing lowercase to uppercase, we use Shift key with that particular alphabet key.
But while doing this all, we need to press the buttons at the same time which makes the task difficult for the one who have disability or suffering from any physical injury.
In some cases, your keyboard keys may be damaged and have limitations to use modifier Keys, in that case also you make use of Sticky Keys.
How Sticky Key Works
Now coming Sticky keys working, after you enable that you just need to press any modifier key once. Till you press another non-modifier key, that key you pressed earlier will be pressed down and this performs a combined function. Now, lets understand this with an example.
If you want to save any file, just press and release the “Ctrl” button and then press the key “S”. It will automatically considered as “Ctrl + s” and save your file. If you enable Sticky keys, it’s icon will visible in taskbar and you can manage it from there.
Icon looks like a four blocks with one rectangular bar above the three small blocks below ( as the representation similar with the modifier keys of physical keyboard ).
The upper rectangular block denotes “Shift” key, left lower block denotes “Ctrl” key, middle lower block refers “Windows” key and finally right lower block refers “Alt” key.
If you press shift key, the upper block of icon turned black which indicates that the shift key is pressed down and you can use any other non-modifier key for any combination to perform any activity.
So, now let’s have a look on how to turn off or on Sticky Keys on Windows using different methods.
Turn Off Sticky Keys
There are lot of methods available to enable Sticky keys on Windows. We will learn different methods on Windows 10 , 8 , 7 by following the simple steps mentioned below.
You have to perform similar methods to enable or disable Sticky keys on both Windows 10 and 11. So just follow the steps carefully
How to Turn Off Sticky Keys with a Keyboard Shortcut
- Unlock your PC and open Home screen of your Windows
- Click on “Shift” key five times simultaneously
- You will hear a sound with opening a Prompt box asking for “Do you want to turn on Sticky Keys”
- Select Yes if you want to enable sticky keys on your system
- If you want to disable it after sometime, just follow the same process by pressing Shift key five times repeatedly at a time, then automatically it will turn off.
How to Turn Off Sticky Keys Windows 10 or 11 on a Signin screen
You can simply enable or disable Sticky keys from the sign-in screen itself by just following these simple steps :
- Open your Sign-in screen
- Click on the Accessibility icon present at bottom right of the screen
- There you will see a option of Sticky keys
- Just toggle it OFF or ON according to your choice
How to Diable Sticky Keys through Quick Settings Menu
- Unlock your PC and Press the “Windows + A” buttons at a time from your keyboard
- Or simply click on the Volume or Battery icon present at the bottom right of the taskbar
- Tap on Accessibility settings present in the settings menu
- Turn on Sticky Keys by just toggling on it or turn it off if you already enabled it according to your choice.
Turn Off Sticky Keys Windows 10 Using Settings
By following this method, you not only enable or disable Sticky keys but also able to customize it. So just follow the simple steps given below :
- Click on Search bar present in the taskbar of home screen
- Search for ‘Settings’ and click on it
- Select Accessibility option present on left side of the screen
- Scroll down the page and click on Keyboard tab under Interaction section
- Simply toggle off or on the Sticky keys present on top of the screen or Click on Sticky keys tab to modify any further settings
- From here, you can customize the settings for Sticky Keys.
How to Sticky Keys Turn OFF/ ON on Windows 8 and 7
You can Turn off or on the sticky keys on Windows 8 and 7 through using Control panel settings. To do this, just follow the simple steps mentioned below :
- Go to Windows Search and search for Control Panel
- Click on Control Panel to open the settings
- Select “Ease of Access” settings tab
- Click on “Make the Keyboard easier to use” link from the list
- Simply Tick on the box present beside to Turn on Sticky Keys option to enable Sticky keys or untick the box to disable it
- You can also customize the Stick key settings by clicking on Set up Keys option under that same tab
- From here, you can modify settings for keyboard shortcuts, Options for modifiers and also Feedback options based on your choice
Why Sticky Keys are Not Turning Off
If you want to disable Sticky keys on your system but unable to perform that. There may be some of the reasons that Sticky keys won’t turning off. So let’s discuss the major reasons and how to fix this issue.
Some of the methods to fix Sticky keys not turning off issue
- Check for any malware attacks
- Uninstall and reinstall the Keyboard drivers
- Install latest Synaptic pointing device
- Replace your Keyboard
Now have a look for how to fix this issue.
Check for any malware issue to diable sticky keys
To check for malware on your system, just follow the steps given below as it may be a one of the reason for not turning of Sticky keys :
- Open windows search bar and search for Windows Defender Firewall
- Open it and Scan for any Malware
- If any malware is found, just clear all the malware and restart your PC
- If you doesn’t contain any defender, simply install it and scan for malware
Uninstall and then Install the Keyboard Drivers for Sticky keys off
If your Keyboard drivers are corrupted, it may be the reason for unable to turn off Sticky keys on your PC. So just reinstall the Keyboard drivers to fix the issue :
- Unlock your PC and click on Windows search present on home screen
- Search for Device manager and click on it
- Select Keyboard Driver option and right click on it
- Tap on Uninstall
- Click on Scan for Hardware Changes option
- Now simply Restart your computer
Install the Latest Synaptic pointing device for sticky keys turn off
Outdated Synaptic Pointing device on your PC may leads to unable to disable Sticky Keys. So to do this, first of all delete the Synaptic pointing driver that present on your PC and install new driver. Just follow the simple steps given below :
- Find the Synaptic in the Uninstaller and uninstall all the files related to this
- After successful uninstallation, just go to Synaptic pointing device website to download driver
- Or simply go through this link synaptics-pointing-device-driver if your PC is windows 10
- Check for latest Synaptic driver and install it
- After installing, follow the on screen instructions and set up the driver on your PC and verify the issue is resolved or not.
Modify Power management settings of your Keyboard to disable sticky keys
Sometimes Keyboard functionality may stops and doesn’t respond if you not used it for long time. In that case, just change the settings of power management of your keyboard. To do this, just follow the steps mentioned below :
- Open your Device manager settings on your PC
- Scroll down and select Keyboard option
- Right click on the Keyboard option
- Tap on Properties from dropdown menu
- Choose Power management option present on top of navigation bar
- Untick the box that present beside of “Allow computer to turn off this device to save power”
- Tick the box that besides of “Allow this device to wake the computer”
- Click on OK and restart your computer once
Windows troubleshoot for Keyboard
- Just open Windows search and search for Find and Fix Keyboard problems and click on it
- Tap on “Advanced” option present at bottom left corner of the new window opened
- Tick the box beside of “Apply Repair Automatically” option
- Click on Next to troubleshoot the keyboard issues
This may solve your issue of not able to turning off Sticky keys.
Update Windows till date
By installing latest updates of your windows may fix the issue of sticky keys. So just follow the simple steps given below :
- Open the window search on your PC
- Search for Settings and click on it
- Select Windows Update option present at left side of the screen
- Click on Check now button for any updates
- Install the update if any updates are listed there
Change your Keyboard
Sometimes your keyboard may have some damage in buttons especially in modifier keys. This will make Sticky keys not to turn off. So replace your keyboard with a proper one which performs without any fault. But make sure that your you are purchasing a good one.
What is the simplest way to turn on Sticky keys on your PC
There are many methods available to turn on or off the sticky ways on your PC. But the easiest way is to click “Shift” key five times repeatedly at a time. Then a prompt box opens where you can turn on the Sticky keys.
